The Tournament
by TheBlackWolf892
Summary: A powerful warrior by the alias of Yami has demanded the creation of a Kung Fu tournament so he may use a forbidden technique to steal the techniques of other Kung Fu warriors. Lupus and the gang must enter this tournament and stop him. Old friends return and emotions bud. PoxTigress, OCxViper, OCxOC, CranexMei Ling
1. Chapter 1: The New Threat

**Chapter 1: The New Threat **

A storm cloud hung over the large city, lightning cracked and thunder roared as rain poured down from the heavens. In the dead centre of the city stood a large, ruby red palace, inside an aged Lynx wearing a red robe with yellow trims was sitting in the lotus position meditating. He sat at the end of a large red hall; he was encircled by lit candles. He sensed a disturbance and opened his green eyes, the palace doors flew open and a strong breeze put out the candle flames.

A hooded stranger stood in the doorway; his black cloak was drenched from the rain. He stepped inside the palace and a pair of glowing green eyes were visible behind the cloak.

"Who are you?" asked the Lynx

"My true name is of no importance, but you may call me Yami. And you are Master Huang-Fu, Grandmaster of the Ruby Palace of the Valley of Strength."

"Well 'Yami', why are you here?" asked Huang-Fu

"I am here to learn the Crimson Fire Fist." Said Yami, Huang-Fu's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet.

"No! The Crimson Fire Fist is only to be taught to the Grandmaster of the Ruby Palace." Said Huang-Fu, Yami let out a chuckle and narrowed his green eyes.

"Foolish old man, I don't need you to teach it to me. I'll learn it myself." Huang-Fu arched an eyebrow.

"How?" asked the old lynx

"By using a forbidden technique." Yami was then cloaked by a purple aura; Huang-Fu gaped in horror and took a step back.

"Are you saying that you've mastered _that_ forbidden technique?" asked Huang-Fu in disbelief, Yami chuckled maniacally and then the purple aura fired tentacle like appendages at the old lynx.

Huang-Fu dived out of the way and the tentacles missed, they quickly turned around and flew at Huang-Fu. The old lynx jumped in the air and used his incredible acrobatic skills to dodge the tentacles.

Once Huang-Fu landed on the ground the tentacles retreated turned back into that purple aura. Huang-Fu charged at Yami with incredible speed for his age and delivered a barrage of punches and kicks but Yami effortlessly dodged them. Yami then punched Huang-Fu in the stomach and roundhouse kicked him in the jaw sending the old lynx rolling across the ground.

Huang-Fu struggled to his feet and glared at Yami, Huang-Fu then flicked his wrists and crimson fire cloaked his paws.

"The Crimson Fire Fist, truly a sight to behold." Said Yami, Huang-Fu growled at Yami and charged at him.

Huang-Fu delivered a barrage of flaming punches but Yami was able to block them all but it still caused him pain. Yami kicked Huang-Fu in the chest sending him flying across the hallway, the crimson fire around the lynx's paws died and Yami slowly approached Huang-Fu.

He stopped in front of the lynx, grabbed him by the robe and pulled him up. The purple aura surrounded Yami again, a single appendage extended from the aura and touched Huang-Fu's forehead.

Huang-Fu was suddenly felt a burning in his head, he yelled in pain and then the appendage retreated back into the aura. Yami dropped the lynx and turned around, he slowly walked across the hallway but Huang-Fu extended his arm and yelled "Stop!"

Yami stopped in his tracks and turned his head to the lynx who was slowly losing consciousness.

"Stop…. I'm….. Not done yet." Huang-Fu said weakly

"Yes you are, I've stolen the Crimson Fire Fist technique from you and now I think I'll test it on the citizens of the Valley of Strength."

"No!" said Huang-Fu "Spare them please, I'll do anything." Yami turned his head forward to think for a minute, he thought of the perfect plan and he turned around facing Huang-Fu.

"Alright, in exchange for sparing these people you must hold a Kung Fu tournament so I may steal more techniques." Said Yami

"What? … No!"

"Come on Master Huang-Fu, a few measly Kung Fu techniques over the lives of thousands. Sounds like a fair deal to me." Said Yami, Huang-Fu sighed in defeat.

"Very well."

"Good man." Yami then turned around and walked out of the palace and then Huang-Fu passed out.

Meanwhile in the Valley of Peace the sun rose over the horizon. The sound of the morning gong being rung echoed throughout the Jade Palace, The Furious Five, Lupus, Aiko and Chen all came out of their rooms immediately.

"Good morning Master." They said in unison, Shifu saw that Po wasn't up yet and he palmed himself in the face and dragged his hand down his face.

He approached Po's door and slid it open, Po was in his bed snoring. Shifu approached the Dragon Warrior and poked him in the belly with his staff waking the panda from his slumber.

"Ugh…. Wha- what's going on?" asked the dazed panda

"It's morning Po, get up!" ordered Shifu, Po fell out of bed causing the ground shake a little bit and he got to his feet. Shifu sighed in disappointed, turned around and walked out of Po's room.

Po also walked out of his room and they all made their way to the kitchen, Po approached the counter and began making his much-loved noodle soup. The smell of Po's cooking was intoxicating, a few minutes later Po filled up some bowls with noodle soup and placed one in front of everyone and they all dug in right away.

Once they had all finished Zeng stepped into the kitchen.

"Master Shifu, Master Huang-Fu of the Ruby Palace is here to see you." said Zeng

"Master Huang-Fu?" asked Shifu, the red panda got off his seat and followed Zeng into the Sacred Hall of Warriors. There, standing by the Moon Pool was Master Huang-Fu. Shifu approached the lynx and bowed.

"Master Huang-Fu, to what do I owe this honour?" asked Shifu

"Master Shifu I have grave news, a warrior by the alias of Yami has learned the Leech technique." Replied Huang-Fu sternly, Shifu's eyes widened in horror.

"That's impossible, that move is forbidden." Said Shifu in disbelief

"Well this warrior doesn't seem to care; he came to me last night and defeated me in combat. He stole the Crimson Fire Fist technique from me, and now he's made me create a tournament so he can steal more moves in exchange that he spares the citizens of the Valley of Strength."

"He stole the Crimson Fire Fist? And now he wants to steal more techniques?"

"Yes, I need you and your students to enter and defeat Yami."

"Who else knows?" asked Shifu

"Just you, I don't want to cause a panic."

"I see, what does this Yami look like?"

"I don't know, he wore a hood when I face him. All I know is that he has green eyes."

"I apologise Master but that's not much to go on."

"I know, but that's all there is, I will see you at the tournament Shifu. Remember the fate of millions rests in the paws of your students."

"We won't let you down Master."

"I know you won't" Huang-Fu then walked out of the Jade Palace, Shifu stood there for a minute trying to process what he was told. Finally he made his way back to the kitchen to inform his students of the new threat.


	2. Chapter 2: The Valley of Strength

**Chapter 2: The Valley of Strength **

Shifu informed his students of the tournament in the Valley of Strength, he also told them about this "Yami" character and that he's learned the Leech technique.

"The Leech technique? What's that?" asked Chen

"Yeah, I've never heard of it." Said Po, Shifu shut his eyes, let out a sigh and opened them again.

"The Leech technique is a forbidden move; it enables the user to steal a technique from another warrior. It was invented hundreds of years ago by a warrior named Yami, one day he became power-hungry and stole hundreds of Kung Fu techniques. Oogway and the very first Furious Five went to confront him; unfortunately due to all of the moves Yami had stolen he was dominating them. Oogway managed to trick Yami into using only his Kung Fu skills, but because Yami relied so much on his stolen techniques his Hand-to-Hand combat was rusty and Oogway defeated him. He was then sent to Chor-Gom Prison where he was executed a few days after arrival." Explained Shifu

"So if the real Yami is dead, then who was the guy who defeated Master Huang-Fu?" asked Aiko, Shifu shook his head.

"I don't know."

"When should we leave?" asked Lupus

"Immediately, Lupus I want you to take Chen down to Mr. Ping's." replied Shifu, Chen turned his head facing Shifu.

"What? No, I wanna come to!" argued Chen, Lupus looked at his "brother".

"No Chen, there's a madman out there and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Said Lupus

"But Lupus-"

"No! You're not going and that's final."

"Come on Lupus, let him come." Said Aiko, the black wolf turned his gaze to the white tiger.

"I said no Aiko."

"What's the worst that could happen? Yami's only after Kung Fu techniques right? Well Chen's still learning the basics so Yami won't come after him." Lupus rested his head on his hand to think for a minute.

"Come on Lupus, he'll be fine." Said Aiko, Lupus let out a sigh and turned his gaze to Chen.

"Alright, you can come." Said Lupus, Chen's face lit up when he said that.

"Yay!"

"But, you have to domexactly as I say and stay out of trouble."

"I promise." Said Chen

"Then everyone start packing." Said Shifu as he turned around and walked out of the kitchen. The others exited the kitchen and went to the barracks; they all stepped inside their rooms and began packing for the mission. Five minutes later they all stepped out of their rooms with their supplies ready, they all walked out of the Palace and down the stairs.

Once they all reached the bottom they all travelled north, it was long and boring journey. And a certain white tiger was staring at a certain black wolf, for some reason Aiko couldn't find the strength to look away from him. She didn't know why she liked Lupus or why he was so different from other boys.

"Are you ok Aiko?" asked a sweet feminine voice; Aiko blinked a couple of times and turned her head to her right and look down. Viper was slithering next to her.

"I'm fine Viper." Replied Aiko

"Are you sure? You look like you're miles away."

"I'm fine, don't worry. By the way, have you heard Nunka yet?" asked Aiko hoping it would change the subject. Viper's face fell, and she looked down on the ground.

"No, it's been weeks since he last wrote to me. I'm beginning to think he's forgotten about me." Said Viper in a sad tone

"Cheer up, there's no way he could forget about you. I'm sure he has a good reason for not writing back."

"I hope so." Viper then returned her gaze to Aiko.

"Speaking of boys, are you going to ask Lupus out or what?" asked Viper, Aiko's face felt like it was on fire and her cheeks were redder than cherries.

"W-what're talking about?" asked Aiko

"Aiko I know love when I see it, I can tell you're head over heels for him just like Tigress is for Po."

"I'm not in love with Lupus." Said Aiko defensively, Viper giggled.

"What ever you say." Replied Viper as she slithered on ahead, Aiko let out a sigh. She'd rather jump off a cliff than go through that again.

After half an hour of travelling Crane spotted the Valley of Strength in the distance, he descended down to Shifu and pointed ahead.

"We're close now, the Valley of Strength is dead ahead." Reported Crane

"Good, thank you Crane." Replied Shifu, Crane bowed and flew back up into the air. After several more minutes of walking they had finally arrived at the gates of the Valley of Strength. One of the guards approached Shifu.

"State your name and your business here." Said the guard

"I am Shifu, Grandmaster of the Jade Palace in the Valley of Peace. I am here to enter my students into the tournament."

"Very well Master Shifu, you may pass." Said the guard, Shifu and his students walked past the guard and walked through the gates.

They all took their first steps into the Valley of Strength; it was as big as Gongmen city. The warriors admired it in awe, and then Shifu led them through the city. Finally they arrived at the Ruby Palace, it greatly resembled the Jade Palace but it was slightly larger and it was ruby red, hence the name.

They approached the palace doors and Shifu opened them, the palace was filled with warriors. Shifu and his students stepped inside and waited for Master Huang-Fu, Crane was looking around the crowd when he heard someone call him.

"Crane, is that you?" asked a familiar feminine voice, Crane turned to his right and saw and went wide eyed. A familiar mountain cat was standing 2 feet away from him.

"M-Mei Ling?" asked Crane, the mountain cat's face lit up then she ran up to the avian and pulled him into a hug.

"Crane it's so good to see you again after all these years." Said Mei Ling, Crane stood their shock and then he wrapped his wings around her.

"Who's that?" asked Lupus

"That's Mei Ling, she's an old friend of Crane's." replied Mantis

"Huh, I wonder if we'll run into more of you old friends around here."

"There's a lot of people, it's likely that we will." Said Monkey

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" cried a childish voice, the gang looked forward and a man wearing a mask, a black outfit and a red scarf wrapped around his neck ran at them.

"Oh man I can't believe it, the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!" he yelled, they could tell he was a grown man but he had a childish voice.

He pulled out a blank scroll and a paint brush, he then opened the scroll.

"Please give me your autograph." He begged

"Um…. Sure." Said Po, he took the brush and the scroll and signed it. Then he handed it back to the masked man and he stared at it.

"Oh man, the Dragon Warrior's autograph." He then fainted

"Man. This guy's just like Po." Said Monkey, Po glared at the simian.

"Is not!"

"He's right, every time you see one of your heroes you act just like this." Said Mantis, Po crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom. Tigress giggle it this, at first she thought Po's fan boy moments were annoying but now she thinks it's kind off cute.

Just then the chatter amongst the crowd died and Master Huang-Fu showed himself, he cleared his throat and looked sternly at the crowd.

"Welcome warriors, I am Master Huang-Fu. You're all here today to fight in the tournament, may the following people please join me." He pulled out a scroll and opened it.

"Luna, Leader of the Valley of Shadows." Lupus's ears twitched once he heard that name, he then saw Luna who was wearing a black kimono dress stand next to Master Huang-Fu.

"Master Kwan, Grandmaster of the Sapphire Palace in the Valley of Wisdom." A falcon wearing puffy blue pants descended down and landed next to Huang-Fu.

"Master Chun, Grandmaster of the Amber Palace in the Valley of War." A lion with yellow fur, a brown mane, multiple scars on his body and wearing battle armour stepped out of the crowd and approached Huang-Fu.

"And finally Master Shifu, Grandmaster of the Jade Palace in the Valley of Peace." Shifu walked through the crowd and approached Master Huang-Fu.

"And the rest of you go and enjoy the rest of your day, the tournament begins tomorrow morning. You may stay anywhere within the city, good day to you all." Then Huang-Fu led Shifu, Luna, Kwan and Chun away.

The crowd then made its way outside of the palace and Kung Fu warriors separated into the city. The gang stayed together.

"What should we do now?" asked Crane

"Well one of these warriors is Yami, there are too many check so we'll have find out in the tournament." Said Tigress

"What's this now?" asked a voice, they turned around and saw Mei Ling, the mountain cat approached Crane.

"Crane, what's going on?" asked Mei Ling

"Errrr…" Crane didn't know if he should tell her, then he made one fatal mistake. He looked into her eyes, they were just so beautiful. Crane couldn't lie to her so he let out a sigh.

"You have to keep this a secret." Said Crane, Mei Ling nodded her head and Crane looked around to make sure no one heard him. He then returned his gaze to his friend.

"This whole tournament is a trap." Said Crane, Mei Ling arched an eyebrow.

"A trap?"

"Yes, there's an evil guy around here by the alias of 'Yami' he forced Huang-Fu create this tournament so he can use a forbidden technique to steal the Kung Fu techniques of other warriors. Me and my friends have to stop him. " Said Crane, Mei Ling's eyes widened.

"What? Well who is this guy?"

"We don't know, but we believe he's one of the fighters."

"Well, is there anything I can do to help?" asked Mei Ling

"Have you seen anyone looking suspicious?" asked Lupus

"Well, there are a lot of suspicious looking people around here." Lupus sighed

"We'll have to wait until the tournament then." Said Tigress

"Oh, Crane. Would you like to hang out? You know, for old time's sake." Asked Mei Ling

"Sure." Replied Crane, the avian and mountain cat then departed.

"I'm going to go and find a place to stay." Said Lupus

"We'll come with you." Said Aiko, the gang then wondered through the city and they managed to find an inn that none of the other contestants have claimed. They walked inside; the place was empty except for the inn keeper. He saw the warriors, smiled and approached them.

"What can I do for you?" asked the innkeeper

"We're fighters in the tournament and we need a place to stay." Said Tigress

"Oh by all means, stay as long as you need." Said the innkeeper

The gang then went upstairs and chose their rooms, Monkey and Mantis decided to go and find Crane to let him know where they were staying. Later that night Monkey, Mantis, Crane and Mei Ling returned. Crane chose his room and Mei Ling chose the one next to his, meanwhile Viper was coiled on her bed.

Unbeknownst to her she was being watched; Viper heard the sound of a rattle being shook. On instinct she grabbed her watcher by the neck and through him at the wall; he let out a painful groan. And when Viper looked to see who it was she wanted to hit herself in the face repeatedly, it was Nunka.

"Ugh, if this is what I get for trying to be romantic, then we're gonna have some problems." Said Nunka, Viper smiled and lunged at him. She pressed her lips against his; they kissed for seemed like forever. When she pulled away Nunka was dazed.

"Wow." He said in awe

"I've wanted to do that again for a long time, oh and sorry about throwing you, I'm just a little jumpy." Said Viper

"It's alright."

"Why haven't you been writing me back lately?" asked Viper

"Oh sorry about that, this is the first town I've been to in weeks so I couldn't write back." Explained Nunka

"It's ok, I'm glad to see you again." Said Viper as she nuzzled him.

Meanwhile Yami was standing on a building overlooking the inn, he was wearing his cloak and his hood was up.

"So, the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five are here? This will be interesting."


	3. Chapter 3: The Tournament Begins

**Chapter 3: The Tournament Begins **

The next morning the arena was filled with competitors, there were several desks to sign up at but each one had an unimaginably long line. Half an hour later the gang had all signed up and they proceeded to the waiting area, several minutes later everyone proceeded to the ring.

Lupus turned his head to his right and saw Luna, Shifu, Kwan, Huang-Fu and Chun sitting on wooden thrones above the ring. Lupus waved at his sister, Luna smiled warmly at him and waved back.

Just then the announcer stepped into the ring, he was a Bighorn sheep with blue eyes and he was wearing a purple robe with black trims and a black sash wrapped around his waist.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to the first Valley of Strength Tournament. The rules are simple, whoever stays down or is out of the ring for 10 seconds loses. There will be no interferences or else whoever intervenes will be disqualified. Any questions?" Lupus raised his hand

"You there." Said the announcer pointing at the black wolf

"Yeah, how are the pairings sorted out?" asked Lupus

"I'm glad you asked," the announcer then held out a small wooden box "They'll be sorted by a random number draw. Now all of you come on up in a single file line and draw your numbers." The competitors formed a single line and stepped into the ring.

They all drew their numbers, Lupus got 1, Po got 20, Tigress got 14, Monkey got 9, Mantis got 16, Aiko got 3, Crane got 10, Mei Ling got 11, Viper got 18 and Nunka got 17. The announcer stepped off the ring and wrote the names down on a wooden board, a few seconds later he had finished and walked back into the ring.

"Alright it's time to begin; the first match will be between Lupus and Chao." Lupus stepped into the ring as did his opponent. Chao was a coyote with brown eyes and he was wearing black pants.

The two canines took their fighting stances and waited for the announcer to begin the match.

"Now….. Begin!" Chao charged at Lupus and delivered a barrage of punches and kicks but Lupus dodged them effortlessly and spun kicked Chao in the ribs.

The coyote rolled across the ring and quickly jumped to his feet and charged at Lupus again, the black wolf smirked and leg swept the coyote causing him to fall flat on his face. Chao growled at Lupus and got to his feet, he charged at Lupus one more time and delivered a multiple punches but Lupus blocked them all.

Lupus jumped and kicked Chao in the chest causing to go flying out of the ring and smack into the wall. The announcer ran towards the edge of the ring and began the count.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Lupus." The crowd cheered for Lupus, especially the women which made Aiko a bit jealous. Lupus stepped off the ring and the announcer cleared his throat.

"And for the 2nd match, Zhang versus Aiko." Aiko stepped into the ring along with Zhang. He was a hyena with black eyes, a scar of his left cheek and he was wearing black armour.

He and Aiko stood opposite each other, Zhang winked at Aiko flirtatiously which repulsed the white tiger.

"And, begin!"

Aiko took a fighting stance but Zhang chuckled and slowly approached her.

"Hey there, you're pretty hot. How about after I win this tournament you and I get to know each other?"

"You're going to have to beat me first." Said Aiko, Zhang chuckled a little bit and leant forward.

"I'll let you have the first hit, just to be fair is all." Said Zhang as he tapped his cheek, Aiko smirked and landed a powerful punch to the hyena's jaw sending him rolling across the ground and he passed out soon after.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Aiko!" the crowd cheered for her, Aiko stepped off the stage while the medics carried the still unconscious Zhang to the infirmary.

"And now for the 3rd match, Cong versus Xing." Cong and Xing stepped into the ring, Cong was a water buffalo with scars all over his body and he was wearing brown armour and black pants. Xing was a crocodile wearing an armoured kilt.

Cong and Xing stood opposite each other and took their fighting stances.

"Begin!"

Xing charged at Cong and landed multiple punches and kicks but they were ineffective. Cong chuckled and attempted to punch Xing but the croc jumped back and charged at Cong again. Xing lunged at Cong and sunk his teeth into the water buffalo's shoulder.

Cong yelled in and he grabbed Xing and ripped him off of his shoulder which hurt like crazy. He threw the croc down on the ground so hard that the ring cracked, Cong then picked up a dazed Xing.

Cong glared at Xing then he threw up in the air, Xing fell head-first towards the ground but once he was levelled with Cong the water buffalo landed a punch to Xing's stomach causing him to go flying out of the ring and crash into the wall.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! The winner is Cong." The crowd cheered for the water buffalo and the medics carried the broken Xing to the infirmary. Cong stepped off of the ring.

"And now for the 4th match, Xun versus Akio." Lupus's ears twitched once he heard Xun's name, he saw his cheetah rival step into the ring as did his opponent Akio who was a rhino wearing black studded armour, black pants and brown leather studded wristbands.

Akio took a fighting stance while Xun stood there casually; Akio looked insulted that his opponent wasn't taking him seriously.

"And, begin!"

Xun turned around and began walking off the ring; everyone looked at him with confused looks stamped on their faces.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" demanded Akio, Xun turned his head and glanced at the rhino.

"The match is over, I win."

"What do you me-" before Akio could finish his sentence he suddenly felt sharp pains all over his body and blood shot out of random places on his body before the rhino fell flat on his face.

Everyone stared at Xun in shock, especially Lupus.

"_He's gotten stronger, looks like Yami won't be the only person I have to look out for." _Lupus said in his head, the announcer recovered from his state of shock.

"1…. 2…. 3-"

"Don't waste your breath; he won't be getting back up." Xun interrupted

"Errr…. I guess so, giving the count would be kinda silly." Replied the announcer, Xun then glanced at Lupus. The black wolf could tell that Xun's sights were set on him.

**And there's Chapter 3, now I have good news and bad news. The bad news is I have to give my sister her laptop back tomorrow but the good news is once my mum's laptop is fixed she said I could have it but I don't know how long until then so I might not upload any chapters for awhile. But you never know, so keep an eye out. TheBlackWolf892 out, Peace! **


	4. Chapter 4: Round 1 Underway

**Chapter 4: Round 1 Underway **

**Hello my loyal fans, if there are any of you left that is. My sister let me burrow her laptop again but only for TODAY. I believe I owe you another chapter. Enjoy. **

"And now for the 5th match, Monkey versus Crane." The crowd cheered as the simian and avian stepped into the ring. Monkey and Crane stood opposite each other and took their fighting stances.

"I don't know who to cheer for." Said Mantis as his gaze went back forth from Monkey to Crane.

"Cheer for both of them." Said Lupus as he stood there casually with his arms crossed.

"Just so you know, I'm not holding back on you buddy." Said Monkey

"I don't expect you to." Replied Crane as a smirk crept up his beak.

"And….. Begin!" Crane spread out his wings and one flap he was high in the air, he glared down at Monkey who was still in his fighting stance.

Crane swooped down at Monkey; the simian used his tail like a spring and launched himself into the air. Monkey stretched out his left leg attempting to kick Crane out of the air, Crane then stretched his right leg out to intercept the simian's attack.

Once their kicks collided they were both knocked out of the air, they both landed on the ring with a painful but they recovered quickly. Monkey and Crane charged at each and were locked in combat; they were matching each other blow for blow. After exchanging blows for a couple of minutes Monkey wrapped his tail around the avian's neck.

Monkey's grip tightened and Crane began choking, he then thought of an idea. Crane grabbed Monkey's neck with his talon and began choking him as well. Monkey un-wrapped his tail around Crane's neck and the avian let go of Monkey.

They both jumped back and retook their fighting stances.

"_Crane sure has improved since I last saw him." _Said Mei Ling in her thoughts

Monkey charged at Crane and attempted to jump kick him in the face, but Crane leaned back and Monkey flew right past him. Once Monkey landed he swung around facing Crane but he had completely disappeared. Monkey then felt something grip his shoulders; Monkey looked up and saw Crane.

Crane flapped his wings and ascended into the air carrying Monkey with him, Crane performed a few back flips in mid air before he let go Monkey causing the simian to fly high into the air.

As Monkey began to fall Crane spread out his wings and spun around in the air. Monkey received two whacks in the face with Crane's spinning wings; he then kicked Monkey in the chest. Monkey was sent flying out of the ring and he landed in the crowd, the simian felt dazed and once his vision cleared he saw a large buffalo woman wearing a pink kimono dress staring down at him.

"Oooo, I finally got myself a man." Said the buffalo woman, Monkey gasped in horror as the woman grabbed him by his tail and dragged him away.

"HELP ME!" cried Monkey, the announcer turned to Crane.

"Should I do the count?" asked the announcer

"I wouldn't recommend it." replied the avian

"Right and the winner is Crane!" the crowd cheered as did his friends, but nobody cheered than Mei Ling. Crane stepped off the ring and Mei Ling approached.

"Crane, that was amazing. You're amazing." Said Mei Ling, she then looked away trying to hide a blush, Crane blushed too so he lowered his hat to conceal it.

"And now for the next match, Mei Ling versus Xi-Wang!"

"Oh, that's my cue." Said Mei Ling, she walked past Crane and stepped into the ring.

Her opponent Xi-Wang was a wolf with grey fur, yellow eyes and he was wearing black pants.

"And….. Begin!" Mei got on all fours and charged at Xi-Wang, the wolf attempted to roundhouse kick her but she somersaulted over him. As Xi-Wang turned around Mei Ling's fist collided with his face and he was sent out of the ring with broken, blooded nose.

Crane stared at Mei-Ling with his open; Lupus noticed this and nudged him.

"Crane are you alright?" asked the black wolf but the avian just stood with his beak wide open.

The announcer ran towards the edge of the ring to begin the count.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Mei Ling!" the crowd cheered for the mountain cat. Mei Ling stepped off the ring and saw Crane who was still standing there with his mouth open.

"Crane, are you alright?" Crane snapped back to reality and closed his beak.

"I'm fine, but you knocked that guy out with only one punch. That was incredible Mei Ling." Mei Ling looked away to hide a blush.

"Now for the next match, Rong versus Tigress." Once Tigress stepped into the ring the crowd cheered. Her opponent, Rong was an ocelot with red eyes, scars all over his body and he was wearing silver armour with only one shoulder pad and blue pants.

"And….. Begin!" Tigress charged at the ocelot and delivered a barrage of powerful punches but Rong, with great deal of effort blocked them all. He attempted to punch Tigress in the face but the feline grabbed his fist, twisted it making Rong cry in pain then she kicked him in the chest sending him flying out of the ring.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Tigress." The crowd cheered loudly for feline, Tigress stepped off of the stage.

"Now for the next match, Zanshi versus Mantis." The crowd cheered once Mantis hopped onto the stage. His opponent was that masked guy who begged for Po's autograph yesterday.

"Oh my gosh! Master Mantis!" said Zanshi in an excited tone, he ran over to the bug and began observing him.

"Oh man, you look so much more awesome than you do in the posters and action figures." He then pulled out an empty scroll and a paint "Can I have your autograph?" begged Zanshi, Mantis antennae twitched.

"Um…. How about after the fight?"

"Awesome!" Zanshi then stepped back.

"Ok….. Begin!" Mantis lunged at Zanshi and attempted to kick him but the masked man flinched in fear and he ducked and put his hands on his head. Mantis missed him and he landed at the edge of the ring, he charged at Zanshi again and jumped. Mantis delivered a barrage of attacks but Zanshi blocked them all, not skilfully but cowardly.

Zanshi back handed Mantis away in a scared fashion and the bug rolled across the ring. Mantis got to his feet and charged at him again, Zanshi began to panic and he kicked Mantis out of the ring once he got close.

Mantis smacked into the wall, the announcer ran towards the edge of the ring to begin the count.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Zanshi." The crowd cheered for the masked man, Zanshi skipped around the ring blowing kisses to the crowd.

"Thank you all, I love each and every one of you." Said Zanshi before he hopped off the ring, the gang stared at him in surprise.

"And now for the next match, Nunka versus Viper!" the two snaked slithered into the ring.

"I won't be holding back on you babe." Said Nunka

"I'd be insulted if you did." Replied Viper

"And…. Begin!" the two snakes slithered at each and exchanged blows, Nunka attempted to whack Viper in the face with his tail but Viper gracefully dodged it.

Viper whacked Nunka across the face with her tail sending the rattlesnake sliding across the ring. Nunka shook his rattle and hissed at Viper, they slithered at each other and were locked it combat. They either blocked each other's blows or dodged them, either way neither of them landed a hit.

Viper managed to wrap herself around Nunka and squeezed tight, the female snake giggled.

"Try and slither your way out of this." Mocked Viper, Nunka and bared his fangs causing to let go and slither 2 feet away. Nunka slithered at her and whacked her across the face with his tail, sending her flying out of the ring. She smacked into the wall and the announcer began the count.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Nunka!" the crowd cheered for the rattlesnake, Nunka slithered out of the ring and went to check on Viper.

"You ok?" asked Nunka

"I'll be fine, that was a dirty trick using your fangs." Replied Viper

"To be fair I didn't actually use them." Viper rolled her eyes and gave Nunka a peck on the lips.

"And for the final match of round 1, Po versus Chu." Once Po stepped into the ring the crowd cheered louder than before, especially the women which made Tigress growl.

Chu stepped into the ring, he was a gorilla with scars all over his body and he was blind in his left eye. He was wearing an armoured kilt and brown leather studded wristbands.

"And…. Begin!" Po lunged at Chu and attempted to spin kick him but the gorilla grabbed the Dragon Warrior's foot and slammed him onto the floor. He then chucked Po into the air and the panda landed on the ground with a loud thud. Po got to his feet and took his fighting stance. This Chu was tough; Po knew he had to take this fight seriously. Or else he'll end up losing the match.

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5: Round 1's epic finale

**Chapter 5: Round 1's epic finale **

**Good news, my sister let me borrow her laptop again, enjoy this next chapter. **

Po and Chu stood opposite each other; a breeze blew past them before they charged at each other. The panda and gorilla exchanged blows, Chu managed to land a punch to Po's stomach and he spun kicked him in the jaw causing him to roll across the ring.

Po got to his feet and saw that Chu was charging at him, Po somersaulted over the gorilla and Chu stopped in his tracks. Chu dashed at Po and were both locked in a grapple, they stood there for a few moments trying to see whose strength superior. Chu's strength was superior and he threw Po up into the air.

Chu jumped up into the air and performed a back flip, kicking Po on the top of the head in mid-air. Po was sent crashing towards the ring, he slowly got to his feet but Chu double-axe handled him as he landed on the ring.

A cloud of dust cloaked the panda, Chu picked up Po by his ankle. He narrowed his good eye to see if Po was unconscious, it looked that way but then Po's eyes snapped open he landed a punch to Chu's face causing him to drop the panda.

Po landed flat on his back and he quickly got to his feet, he jumped back and looked at Chu with a smirk on his face. But it soon faded, Chu stood there with a blooded nose but it didn't seem to affect him at all.

Chu wiped the blood from his nose and Master Chun let out a chuckle. Shifu glanced at the lion.

"Is there something funny Master Chun?" asked Shifu, Chun glanced at Shifu.

"The Dragon Warrior's efforts are futile; Chu is the most powerful and dangerous warrior in the Valley of War." Said Chun with a triumphant smile on his face.

"You see, I adopted Chu when he was 5. He was talented at Kung Fu from the start; I trained him hard and worked him to the core. Chu has no limits and he cannot feel pain." Shifu's eyes widened a warrior who couldn't feel pain or get exhausted. It sounded impossible, Shifu then returned his gaze to the match.

Po had heard what Master Chun had said and he glanced at Chu.

"You…. You can't feel pain?" asked Po, Chu nodded.

"I worked every piece of my body to the point it all became completely numb and my stamina had surpassed its limitation." Explained Chu

"_It's just like Tigress with her paws." _

Chu charged at Po again, he delivered a barrage of powerful punches. Po knew if he couldn't really on his strength so he had to use his speed and agility (which wasn't going to be easy considering he's a panda).

Po dodged and blocked every one of them, after a few minutes Po was beginning to get tired but Chu didn't show any signs of exhaustion. Chu landed a powerful punch to Po's face leaving him with a bloody nose. Po was sent flying and he slid across the ring with his head hanging off the edge.

"1…. 2…. 3….." Po couldn't move, he was exhausted and in serious pain. He knew he couldn't beat Chu, it was hopeless.

"Po!" called a stern feminine voice; Po opened his eyes and saw an upside down Tigress.

"Tigress…"

"4….. 5….. 6….."

"Po, you have to keep fighting." Said Tigress

"I…. Can't…. He has no limits…. He can't feel pain…."

"You have to try Po, you can win. I believe in you." Said Tigress, Po stared into her eyes, those beautiful amber eyes.

"7….. 8….. 9….."

Po suddenly caught his second wind and he jumped to his feet. The panda then took his fighting stance and glared at Chu, he didn't know if he will be able to defeat Chu but he was going give it everything he had.

Chu charged at Po and readied a punch, once he was close Chu sent his fist flying at the Dragon Warrior. Po jumped causing the attack to miss and Po landed a spin kick to the side of Chu's neck.

At first Chu merely chuckled, but then he felt a strange feeling in his neck. It felt familiar; Chu was then knocked off of his feet and was sent flying across the ring.

Chu crashed into the ring and slid towards the edge; Po landed on the ground and smirked at Chu. The gorilla sat up straight, and he put his hand to his neck where Po kicked it. Master Chun stood up from his chair.

"Chu, what's wrong?"

"I…. Feel…. Funny….. I…. Fell….. PAAAAIIIINNNN!" cried Chu, he then fell on his back and cried in pain. Chun's eyes were wide and his mouth was open.

"Pain….. Imp-impossible….. You haven't felt pain in 20 years." Said Chun in disbelief, Chu recovered and returned to his feet.

"_How could this panda make me feel pain? It's not possible." _Said Chu in his thoughts.

"Hey!" called Po, Chu snapped back to reality and glared at Po "Are you just gonna stand there? Or are we gonna fight?"

Chu took his fighting stance letting Po know the fight was still on, Po took his fighting stance.

Po and Chu then dashed at each other; they exchanged blows for a few moments before Po landed a powerful kick to Chu's stomach. Once again Chu felt pain, Po attempted to punch Chu in the face but the gorilla grabbed Po's fist and slammed him into the ground.

Po recovered quickly and jumped back to his feet, the panda charged Chu he performed a Swirling Lynx Round Kick (the attack that Hundun kept using on Po in KFP Legends of Awesomeness) the attack knocked Chu to the floor but he recovered quickly and jumped back to his feet.

"I have to admit Dragon Warrior; you are the greatest I've ever faced."

"Thanks." Replied Po with a smile

"But now I must end this match with my powerful attack, the Fireball of Instant Destruction." Said Chu, the gorilla then performed a series of arm movements. He then brought his hands close together and a small fireball appeared between them.

"_I haven't used this attack since my battle with Fenghuang; I just hope it's still as powerful." _Said Po in his thoughts, Po then spun around at incredible speed. Shifu and the Five knew what this meant; Po was attempting the Thundering Wind Hammer.

Chu launched the fireball at the Dragon Warrior, Po stopped spinning and thrusted his arm forward realising a green light. The Wind Hammer and the Fireball exploded on impact, Po and Chu were caught in it and a blinding white light filled the arena.

When the light died a cloud of smoke cloaked the ring making it impossible to see Po and Chu. Once the smoke cleared everyone gaped in horror, the entire ring had been reduced to a crater and only a single piece of the ring had been untouched leaving a long column in the centre of the crater.

Po and Chu were unconscious and were at both sides of the crater, they then both struggled to their feet. Po's fur was stained with blood; he was covered in bruises, a few burns and scratches and his shorts were tattered and ripped. Chu's fur was also stained with blood, a few of his scars had re-opened, he was covered in bruises and a few burns, the armour on his kilt had been chipped, scratched and cracked and his leather studded wristbands had been completely vaporized.

The announcer who had ran off the ring right before the explosion stood at the edge of the crater. Po and Chu were breathing heavily with smirks on their faces.

"Dragon Warrior." Called Chu

"What?" replied Po

"You and I are both on our last legs; let's say you and I end this match in style."

"What did you have in mind?" Chu pointed at the single column of that was left of the ring.

"You and I stand up there, we'll fight using only our fists." A smirk crept up Po's face and he nodded.

Po and Chu approached the column and climbed up it, once they reached the top they stood on the only piece left of the tile ring. Po glared up at Chu and the gorilla glared down at the Dragon Warrior.

A storm cloud crept across the sky and a cold breeze blew through the arena, Po and Chu still stood there glaring at each other with smirks on their faces. With a flash of lightning the two warriors began pulverizing each other with their punches.

Po landed a punch to Chu's stomach but the gorilla retaliated with two punches, one to Po's jaw and his stomach. Po and Chun's clash continued for several minutes, Chu began to feel exhausted for the first time in 20 years and Po was equally as tired.

"They're both so evenly matched." Said Aiko

"This fight looks like it could go on forever." Said Chen

"No, they're both on their last legs." Replied Lupus, Tigress watched as Po and Chu continued to punch each other.

"We-We have to stop this." Said Tigress, everybody turned their gaze to the tiger.

"What do you mean?" asked Monkey

"Look at them, Po's pushing himself way to far, if he keeps this up he'll die." Everybody went silent and returned their gazes to the fight. Tigress growled and ran in front of the gang.

"Are you guys even listening to me?! Po's gonna die out there if he continues, we have to stop the match now!" exclaimed Tigress

"Tigress…."

"What Lupus!" snapped Tigress

"We don't want Po to continue either, but we can't stop the match even if we tried." Tigress arched an eyebrow

"What're you talking about." Lupus pointed at the two warriors and said "Look."

Tigress turned around and saw Po's expression, it wasn't exhaustion, it wasn't pain it was a combination of determination and fun.

"Po's having the time of his life out there, if we interrupted that then we couldn't call ourselves his friends. We want him to stop just as much you do Tigress, but it's not our decision." Said Lupus, Tigress stared at Po as he punched and got punched by Chu.

Chu landed a powerful punch to Po's jaw sending falling backwards, his friends gaped in worry. Chu leaned his head back and sent a powerful head butt at the panda but Po regained his footing and intercepted with his head butt.

Once their foreheads collided lightning cracked and thunder roared in the sky above, blood trickled down both of their foreheads. They glared at each other for a few moments, then Chu's eye rolled back into his head and he fell back.

He fell off of the column and into the crater below, he crashed to the ground and the announcer began the count.

"1…. 2…. 3…. 4…. 5…. 6…. 7…. 8…. 9…. 10! And the winner is Po!" the crowd was in uproar within seconds. Po waved to the cheering crowd; he then saw the medics slide down the crater. They then carried Chu out of the crater and to the infirmary; Po jumped off of the column and climbed out of the crater. His friends ran over to him.

"Po that was awesome!" exclaimed Mantis, Po chuckled.

"Thanks."

"How do you feel?" asked Viper

"Honestly, I feel tired and I've got a serious a headache." Said Po as he placed his paw on his forehead. He then walked past the gang and said "I'm gonna go lie down."

"And there you have it folks, Round 1 is over. Round 2 will begin as soon as we fix the damage done….. So yeah, see ya next time." Said the announcer, the audience then got up from their seats and began leaving the arena.

However unbeknownst to the gang, they were being watched by Yami. He stood at the top row of the crowd; his appearance was silhouetted by the shadows.

"Po the Dragon Warrior….. Lupus aka Zen of the Shadow Clan….. And Xun the Demon of the Wind. I'm going to have to add the three of you to my list." Yami then chuckled maniacally

**Uh oh, he's after Po, Lupus and Xun now! You're probably asking: "Which one of the fighters is Yami?" well I'm going to tell you…. He is-*cuts to black***


	6. Chapter 6: Round 1 Celebration Festival

**Chapter 6: Round 1 Celebration Festival **

A week has past since Round 1 was completed; the citizens of the Valley of Strength decided to throw a festival in honour of the winners. The gang was walking through the streets, on their way to the festival in the centre of the city.

"Does anybody know how long until the Round 2 begins?" asked Nunka, Shifu glanced at the rattlesnake.

"It should only take a few days." Replied Shifu

"What about Yami?" asked Lupus

"There have been no signs of him yet, but I sense he's going to make his move very soon." Said Shifu

"Let's try to forget about Yami for tonight and enjoy the festival." Said Aiko

"Aiko's right, I doubt Yami would strike during a festival filled with hundreds of warriors. Plus we've all been working hard lately." Said Viper in approval

"Very well, but keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious." Ordered Shifu

"Yes Master Shifu." The students said in unison

After several minutes of wondering through the city the gang had finally arrived at the festival, and it was a sight to behold. The area was lit by a multitude of lanterns; there were stands as far as the eye could see and the citizens and warriors who entered the tournament were everywhere.

"Hold on a sec, how come there are so many fighters here and yet there weren't many at the tournament?" asked Chen

"There are separate arenas in the city, Master Huang-Fu built them because the arena you all fought in wasn't big enough to hold all of the fighters." Explained Shifu

"Oooooh." Replied Chen

"I'm hittin' the food stands!" said Mantis as he hopped off of Monkey's shoulder, the bug then went over to the nearest food stand.

"I'm gonna check out the weapon stands." Said Monkey, the simian then disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm going shopping," said Viper, she then turned her gaze to her boyfriend "Nunka, do you wanna come?"

"Sure, why not. But I'm broke right now so don't expect me to buy you anything." Viper giggled and the two snakes slithered away from the group.

"Lupus!" called a familiar voice, the black wolf turned his gaze to his left and he saw his younger sister waving at him. Lupus smiled and approached her, Chen followed.

"Hey Luna." Said Lupus

"Hi there," Luna then spotted Chen standing behind Lupus "Who's this little guy?"

"This is Chen; he's a kid I saved a while back. He's like my little brother." Explained Lupus, Luna smiled at Chen warmly and knelt down in front of him.

"Cool, I've always wanted a younger sibling." She said, that made Chen's face go red.

"So what're you doing here?" asked Lupus, Luna glanced up at her brother.

"Enjoying the festival of course."

"No, I mean in the Valley of Strength."

"Oh," she then stood up straight "I'm here as a representative for the Valley of Shadows, there are some fighters here from there, including you."

"I fight for the Valley of Peace."

"True, but you were born in the Valley of Shadows. So in a way you're fighting for both." Lupus went silent.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat Lupus but I gotta go." Said Luna

"Alright." Lupus and Luna shared an embrace before Luna made her way back to the Ruby Palace. Lupus glanced down at Chen and asked "So, what do you want to do?"

"I wanna check out the games."

"Alright, but only a few." Said Lupus sternly, Chen nodded and the two "Brothers" went to the nearest game stand.

Meanwhile Po had just found a stand that sold action figures, posters, knick-knacks and other things. Po's fan boy mode kicked into overdrive.

"Awesome! There's so much cool merchandise here." Said Po

"I know right!" said a childish yet familiar voice, Po turned his gaze to his right and he saw Zanshi.

"Oh, hey Zanshi." Said Po

"Greetings Dragon Warrior." Replied Zanshi as he bowed, Zanshi then turned to his right facing the stand and examined the merchandise.

"So Zanshi, what's with the mask?" asked Po

"It's to hide my face so when I win the tournament I'll take it off and shock a few people." Said Zanshi

"Lemme guess, people who said you would never amount to anything?"

"Yep," Zanshi then turned around "I'll be seeing you in Round 2 Dragon Warrior." Zanshi then walked away from the stand and disappeared in the crowd.

Meanwhile in the Valley of Strength Hospital, Chu was lying in the hospital bed when a nurse walked into the room with a tray carrying a bowl of rice and a cup of herbal tea.

"Here's your dinner Chu, sorry it's not much." Said the nurse as she placed the tray on Chu's lap.

"It's alright."

"The doctor said you'll be back to full health by tomorrow morning." Said the nurse, Chu smiled.

"That's great, thank you." The nurse bowed and turned around; she then walked out of the room leaving Chu alone.

The gorilla began eating his rice but then he heard a noise outside; he swallowed and turned his gaze to the window. He saw no-one so he shrugged his shoulders and continued eating.

He heard another noise and once again it was outside.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" called Chu, there was no answer. Chu picked up the tray and set it down at the foot of his bed. Then he got out of bed and slowly approached the window, once he got close he slowly peaked his head through the window but then somebody tackled him through window and pinned him to the floor.

Chu couldn't see his face because it was concealed by a hood, but he could see a pair of green eyes.

"Who…. Are …. You?!" demanded Chu as he struggled to get out of the hooded man's grip.

"I am Yami, but you can call me your worst nightmare." Yami was then cloaked by a purple aura and the sound of Chu's cries of pain echoed through the hospital.

The nurse entered the room but she screamed when she found Chu's body lying on the floor.

Meanwhile back at the festival most of the people were beginning to dance, Aiko was leaning against a building watching the citizens and warriors dance.

"You ok Aiko?" asked a voice behind her, Aiko turned around and saw Lupus standing behind her.

"Oh Lupus, I'm fine."

"So what're you doing?"

"Just watching the people dance."

"Aren't you gonna dance?"

"No, I don't know how to dance." She admitted

"I could teach you." Said Lupus, Aiko's ears twitched and her cheeks reddened.

"Umm….. You know how to dance?"

"Yeah my mother taught me how before I lost my memory." Explained Lupus

"Well….. Err….."

"Come on, it'll be fun." Said Lupus as he offered her his left paw, Aiko hesitantly took it. Lupus led her over to the dancing crowd, he placed Aiko's arms over his shoulders and he placed his paws on her hips causing Aiko to blush even more.

"Now just follow my lead." Said Lupus, the black wolf and white tiger began dancing. Aiko a little slow at first but she got the hang of it, they continued dancing for what seemed like forever. Lupus gazed into Aiko's ocean blue eyes and Aiko gazed into his. Their whole universe seemed to revolve around each other; their faces slowly leaned in closer. Their lips were only centimetres away when….

"Hey guys!" exclaimed a voice, Lupus and Aiko both snapped back to reality and quickly broke apart. Po stepped out from the crowd and approached the two adolescents.

"Oh, hey Po." Said Lupus

"Hey you two," Po then noticed both Lupus and Aiko were a bit red in the cheeks "Did I interrupt something?"

"No!" they both exclaimed in unison

"Ok…. So what were you two doing?"

"I was just teaching Aiko how to dance." Said Lupus, Po arched an eyebrow.

"You know how to dance?"

"I know, that's what I said." Replied Aiko

"Well, I think I'll return to the Inn. I'm kinda tired right now." Said Lupus, the black wolf turned around and walked away.

"Oh ok, see ya." Said Po, the panda then turned around and walked away as well leaving Aiko alone in the centre of the dancing crowd. Aiko glanced in the direction where Lupus had gone.

"_So close." _She said in her head

**Me: Dammit Po! Why did you have to interrupt the kiss…. Oh wait I'm the writer I made him do that **

***sees a glow outside window* **

**Me: What the hell is that? **

***Looks out window and sees an mob of angry fans* **

**Me: Sh*t I knew this would happen one day **

***Grabs a few firearms and goes outside* **

**Fan boy: Why did you have Po interrupt Lupus and Aiko's kiss?! **

**Me: The genre is suspense for a reason! **

**Fan girl: Well we're gonna kill you now! **

**Me: If you do, I'll make sure to take as many of you with me as I can! **

***Runs into mob and begins shooting people***


	7. Chapter 7: Meeting Yami

**Chapter 7: Meeting Yami **

**I'M BACK! That's right my loyal fans (those that are left anyway) I have returned. I got a new laptop on christmas and now I'm gonna give awesome chapters until you pass out! **

Lupus wondered through the dark, empty street thinking about his dance with Aiko and what they were about to do. For some reason he couldn't stop thinking about it, or her.

_"What's wrong with me?" _Just then he heard footsteps behind him, Lupus stopped in tracks and the sound of the footsteps stopped. Lupus turned his head to see who it was but he couldn't see anyobody beyond the darkness of the street.

Lupus turned his head forward and continued down the street, but he could still hear the footsteps. He swung around but he still coudn't see anybody, Lupus took a couple of steps forward and his eyes scanned the area but there was nothing.

Lupus's eyes turned sapphire blue and he summoned blue fire in his right paw and then he moved it around the area, lighting it up. He could see the area quite clearly now but there was still nobody there.

"Who's there!" demanded Lupus, but there was silence. Lupus figured it was just his imagination so he put out the fire cloaking his paw and then his eyes reverted back to their usual brown colour.

Lupus turned around and once again walked down the street. Meanwhile back at the festival, Aiko sat on bench with her head resting on her paws. She was a bit angry at Po for interrupting her and Lupus's kiss, she saw Viper slithering up to her in the corner of her vision. Aiko turned her gaze to the snake.

"Hey Aiko, you ok?" asked Viper, Aiko looked down and nodded.

"You're upset about Po interrupting you and Lupus aren't you?" Aiko's windened, her cheeks flared up and her heart felt like it was gonna burst out of her ribcage. She returned her gaze to Viper and asked "You-You saw that?"

A miscievous smirk crept up Viper's face and nodded her head, Aiko stared in shock, never before had she felt so embarrassed.

"It... wasn't what it looked like." Aiko said defensivly

"Oh I think it was, I think you and Lupus were about to make out but then Po stepped in and ruined the moment." Aiko's lips parted but she couldn't think of anything to see, finally she gave up.

"Fine, I like Lupus, are you happy now?" she confessed

"I knew it." replied Viper

"I don't know what it is I like about him, he's just so... mysterious, handsome, strong, brave, selfless I mean he even died for me."

"I understand."

"So, are you gonna slither off telling Lupus and the others?"

"No, but you should. Tell Lupus how you feel."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"He will, trust me." said Viper, the snake then turned around and slithered away leaving Aiko alone to think.

Meanwhile Lupus was half way back to the inn when the sound of somebody stepping in a puddle made his ears twitch. Lupus swung around and spotted somebody hiding by the entrance of an alley, the person quickly ran into alley as soon as Lupus spotted him. The black wolf growled and chased after him, Lupus ran through the alleyway and he saw the person at the end of it but he turned to his left and ran.

Lupus ran out of the alleyway and he ran in the direction the person ran, Lupus stopped dead in his tracks. He had lost sight of the person he was chasing, he heard someone whistle. Lupus looked up and saw the hooded stranger standing on top of a building.

Lupus dashed towards the building and with one jump he was on the roof, he saw the hooded stranger standing there. He wore a black cloak and his face was concealed by a hood, Lupus saw a pair of glowing, green eyes but that was all.

"Who are you?" demanded Lupus

"Your biggest fan, but in all seriousness I think you know who I am." Lupus let out a growl, he knew exactly who he was.

"Yami." he said coldly, Yami nodded his head.

"What do you want with me?" asked Lupus

"A quick sparring match, I wanna test you skills."

"Alright, fine." Lupus got on all fours and charged at Yami but the cloaked villain didn't move a muscle. Once Lupus got close he jumped into air and attempted to kick Yami in the face but Yami leaned his head to his left causing Lupus to miss. Lupus spun around in mid-air and attempted to kick Yami in the side of the head but he simply ducked causing Lupus's attack to once again miss.

Once Lupus landed on the ground he lunged at Yami but he summersaulted past the black wolf. Lupus rolled across the ground and he quickly got to his feet and swung around facing Yami.

"You're good Lupus, but I've analysed your fighting style. You're brilliant when it comes to defence but when it comes to offence you don't think, and that's your problem." Lupus charged at Yami again and delivered a barrage of punches and kicks, but Yami effortlessly dodged them all.

Lupus's eyes changed yellow, suddenly his speed increased. Lupus's blows were a lot faster but Yami still dodged them all and cloaked villian jumped back. Lupus cloaked his paws in lighting and charged at Yami one more time, Yami shut his eyes and let out a sigh.

Yami turned around and he performed a backflip then he kicked Lupus on top of the head in mid-air. Lupus face planted the ground, he stared up at Yami in disbelief. One kick and Lupus felt like a mountain was dropped on top of him.

He couldn't move, the pain of that one kick was excrutiating. Yami knelt down in front of him.

"The Shadow Wolf Clan's Elemental Release ability, the evolved version in fact. It is truly a sight to behold." said Yami, a growl escaped Lupus's throat.

"We're a lot alike you and I." said Yami

"We're nothing alike... you're... evil." replied Lupus

"Hmph, is that so? Lupus, nobody chooses to be evil. We're made this way." explained Yami, Lupus looked at him in confusion.

"What're... you talking about?"

"Anger, fear and greed, these are the emotions that trigger someone to snap and turn evil. Tai Lung for example, he was a good person once, he worked his entire life to earn the Dragon Scroll but Grandmaster Oogway said he wasn't the Dragon Warrior. Imagine it, your entire life fixed on one goal, but it was taken from you. Tai Lung's greed for the Dragon Scroll pushed him over the edge." said Yami

"Then there was Shen, he wasn't exactly good to start out with but he wasn't evil, then the Soothsayer said a Warrior of Black and White would defeat him. It was Shen's fear of death that led to the massacre of the panda's, his exile and him turning evil. Finally there is me, I became evil through anger but that's a story for another time." Lupus didn't quite understand what Yami was trying to say.

"You see, we're not bad people, we just make bad descisions. The things we do, the people we hurt are our own misguided ways of getting back at a world that turned its back on us... a world that made us who we are. That Lupus, is the definition of true evil."

"If you know what you're doing is wrong then why do you do it?" asked Lupus, Yami went silent for a moment. Finally he spoke up.

"Because the world made me this way." Yami then rose to his feet, turned around and began walking away. He then stopped at the edge of the roof and turned back to Lupus.

"I'll see you in the ring, and I won't be holding back." Yami then turned facing forward and he jumped off the building. Lupus's vision began to blur and then his world turned black.

**And there you have it, sorry if it's not that good I am a little rusty. TheBlackWolf892 out, Peace!**


	8. Chapter 8: Repressed Memories

**Chapter 8: Repressed Memories **

Meanwhile at the festival Tigress was wondering through the street having a look at the different stands. Just then she spotted a fireworks stand, for someone reason seeing them sent a chill down her spine.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she turned her head forward and slowly opened her eyes. She continued wondering aimlessly down the street for some time, before she found herself out of the lights of the festival and in the dark, silent streets.

Just then felt a paw on her shoulder, she then turned her head and saw a large figure with emerald eyes standing behind her. Tigress let out a growl.

"Yami!" she exclaimed, she then grabbed 'Yami's' paw and threw him across the street and he crashed into a nearby house. 'Yami' let out a groan, Tigress got on all fours and charged at him.

"Tigress wait!" said 'Yami', his voice sounded strangely familiar so Tigress stopped. 'Yami' rose to his feet and he then stepped forward into the moonlight revealing him to actually be Po. Tigress's cheeks reddened with embarrasment but luckily the darkness and her orange her concealed it.

"Po, I am so sorry. I thought you were Yami." she apologised

"Eh, don't worry about it." replied Po, Tigress then crossed her arms.

"So, what're you doing out here?" she asked

"I came to ask you if you wanted to watch the fireworks with me." explained Po

"Oh," Tigress was a bit caught off guard by that "Um... Sure."

"Awesome, well come on." said Po, the Dragon Warrior led Tigress back into the festival and they arrived at the dead centre of the festival where a large group of people were waiting.

Po and Tigress were then approached by Viper, Nunka, Monkey, Mantis, Aiko and Chen. The fireworks then started, everyone looked up at the exploding lights illuminated the night sky. It was truly a beautiful site, the fireworks began taking shapes like flowers, chinese symbols and a peacock. Tigress's eyes widened at the firework that shaped a peacock, then painful, repressed memories came to surface.

**(Flashback) **

_"Po, get away from him!" Tigress ordered, Po climbed onto the platform before he threw a tuning fork in the air and whacked it at Shen with a wok. The tuning fork pinned Shen by the neck to something that was covered by a large sheet and some wood. _

_"No more running Shen!" said Po _

_"So it seems." replied Shen as he removed the tuning fork from his neck. _

_"Now, answers." demanded Po _

_"Oh, you want to know so badly. You think knowing will heal you; fill some crater in your soul? Well here is your answer. Your parents didn't love you." Po's face fell, like his entire world just shattered. _

_"But here, let me heal you." said Shen as he jumped into the air, removing the wood and the sheet in doing so thus revealing his largets cannon. Tigress ran faster than ever before trying to get to her friend. _

_Shen lit the fuse and the cannon fired a cannonball at Po, he managed to block it with the wok but the sheer force of the cannonball carried him away. _

_"NOOOOOOO!" cried Tigress as she tried to reach him, but it was too late. Po flew past her and Tigress fell to the floor. Po was blown out of Shen's factory and Tigress's world crumbled around her. _

***Flash* **

_Po, the Five, Shifu and Masters Ox and Croc were fighting their way to Shen. They were beating down every wolf bandit that got in their way, Shen began to panic and then he looked down at the Wolf Boss. _

_"Fire!" he ordered, the Wolf Boss looked at his pack with a horrified expression. _

_"But sir, we'll kill our own." he protested, Shen didn't care. _

_"Fire at them! FIRE!" yelled Shen, the Wolf Boss turned around facing facing Shen. _

_"No." he said sternly as he chucked the cannon lighter away. Shen glared at the Wolf Boss and threw daggers at him for his defiance. The Wolf Boss grunted in pain before he fell, Shen jumped on top of the cannon and lit the fuse himself. Tigress wasn't going to lose Po again. _

_"Po!" she said as she pushed him out of the way, the cannon fired and there was a bright light and a searing pain. The next thing Tigress knew she was waking up on a piece of driftwood with Po holding her paw._

_Tigress was relieved he wasn't hurt but then he pushed the driftwood away. Tigress reached out to Po but he swam away to face Shen's entire fleet on his own. _

**(End of flashback) **

Tigress began hyperventilating and then she ran away from the scene, only Po noticed her run away and he decided to follow her. Po ran through the streets looking for Tigress but he couldn't find her anywhere, he then spotted something moving in a dark alley to his left.

He ran inside and spotted Tigress sitting on the ground, hugging her legs with her face resting on her knees.

"Tigress?" said Po, she didn't answer.

Po slowly approached her and then he sat down next to her.

"Tigress, are you alright?" asked Po

"I'm fine." she replied

"You can't fool me that easily, what's wrong?"

"Those fireworks, they reminded me of when we fought Shen. When he blasted you with his cannon and when I pushed out of the way the second time."

"Oh." said Po, he too remembered the pain of that day.

"I failed you that day, I couldn't save you from Shen's cannon."

"Hey it was my fault, I should've listened to you that day. But hey, you saved me the second time." Said Po as he put his paw on her back, once his paw made contact a chill was sent up Tigress's spine.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened that night, I'm sorry I disobeyed you and put you through so much pain. And thank you for saving me, I couldn't ask for a better friend." Tigress looked at the panda and smiled.

"Thanks Po." she replied, although she did feel better she was a bit sad that Po reffered to her as a "friend" and she wasn't sure why. Po rose to his feet and offered her his paw which she took. Po pulled Tigress to her feet.

"Come on, let's enjoy the festival." said Po

"I'd like that." replied Tigress

"Um... Tigress."

"Yes Po?"

"You can let go of my paw now." Tigress looked down and saw that she was still holding Po's paw. She blushed and quickly let go of it, the Panda and Tiger then walked out of the alleyway and back to the festival.

**And there's Chapter 8, to all those TiPo fans I know you wanted that to lead to a kiss and originally it was going to but I figured it would've been too early and plus I'm evil and wanted you to wait longer MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TheBlackWolf892 out, Peace!**


	9. Chapter 9: Round 2 Begins

**Chapter 9: Round 2 Begins **

When Lupus regained consciousness his head was pounding and his vision was blurred, he struggled to his feet and let out a painful moan, grasped his head and stumbled backwards.

"It's about time you woke up." said a familiar voice, Lupus turned to his right and he saw a blurry figure sitting on the chimney. Lupus blinked a few time and his vision finally cleared, the blurry figure was none other than Xun.

"Xun? What're you doing here?" asked Lupus weakly

"I was just passing by when I saw you get beat down by Yami." Lupus's eyes widened and the pain in his head suddenly vanished.

"How did you know about Yami?" asked Lupus

"I overheard you and your friends at Ruby Palace." explained Xun, the cheetah then launched himself off of the chimney and he landed in front of the black wolf.

"I have to say that guy is on a whole different level." said Xun

"I know, one kick and I feel like I was hit by a mountain." replied Lupus

"So what're we gonna do?" asked Xun

"We?"

"Yeah, against this guy, you're gonna need all the help you can get."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Tell me what I can do to help." Lupus thought for a moment, what could a cheetah with wind powers do to help find the indentity of a crazed, lunatic bent on stealing Kung Fu techniques? then it hit him.

"Xun, you can travel through the wind right?"

"Uh huh."

"Can you use that to snoop around and find out who Yami is?" a smirk crept up Xun's face.

"Impressive, alright I'll give it a shot."

Lupus closed his eyes and said "Thank you Xun." but when he opened them again he was gone, Lupus looked in every direction but Xun was nowhere in sight.

"That's really starting to annoying."

**A Few days later... **

The arena was finally finished and the Tournament could continue, Lupus sat on the bench waiting for Xun.

"Waiting for someone?" asked a voice, Lupus looked to his left and saw Xun sitting next to him.

"Ah!" Lupus fell off of the bench while Xun chuckled.

"You really need to stop that!" snapped Lupus

"Sorry I couldn't resist." Xun then stood up from the bench while Lupus got to his feet.

"So, do you know who Yami is yet?"

"No not yet, but there is this one guy who I think might be him, he's the tournament winner of arena 2 but I don't know his name."

"Alright, we'll investigate later but for now we have to get past the second round." said Lupus, just then the announcer stepped into the ring which caught everyone's attention.

"Welcome back everybody, now, unfortunately due to the explosive battle between Chu and the Dragon Warrior we're delayed so the other arenas all ready have their winners plus the roster was destroyed in the battle so we have to redo the number pick." The announcer then held out the box with the numbers in while the remaining fighters collected their numbers.

Lupus got 1 again, Aiko got 2, Nunka got 3, Xun got 5, Tigress got 6, Crane got 7, Mei Ling got 9 and Po got 10.

"Alright let's begin Round 2, the first match is between Lupus and Aiko." Lupus and Aiko both stepped into the ring and took their fighting stances.

"And... Begin." Aiko delivered a barrage of punches but Lupus blocked them all, the black wolf then jumped back.

Aiko got on all fours and charged at Lupus, once she got close Lupus attempted to roundhouse kick. Aiko hoped he would try that so she somersaulted over him and then she swung around and kicked him in the back.

Lupus was knocked to floor but he quickly got to his feet and retook his fighting stance as did Aiko. The white tiger charged at Lupus again and jumped into air, she attempted to kick Lupus but the black wolf blocked the attack and roundhouse kicked her in the ribs in mid-air.

Aiko rolled across the ring but she quickly recovered and jumped to her feet, Aiko and Lupus charged at each other and were both locked in combat, every punch and kick they threw were either blocked or dodged, they coudn't land a hit on each other.

Finally Lupus made mistake, he attempted to punch Aiko in the face but she ducked and elbowed him in the stomach and palmed his in the chin Lupus flying up into the air. Lupus crashed onto the ring and struggled to his feet, Aiko charged at him and attempted to punch him but Lupus looked up at her with his now yellow eyes.

A gasp was all Aiko could do before Lupus landed a fast and powerful punch to her jaw sending her flying across the ring.

"I can't believe it, Lupus's eyes have changed colour." said the announcer in awe, the women in the crowd found it attractive but Lupus didn't seem to notice.

Aiko struggled to her feet and retook her fighting stance while Lupus let out a chuckle.

"I have to say Aiko, you've really improved, forcing me to resort to Elemental Release power. You're something else." Aiko blushed furiously at that compliment but she quickly shook it off and readied herself.

Lupus charged at her with lightning fast speed and delivered a fast punch but Aiko barely dodged it. She attempted to spin kick him in the ribs but Lupus had disappeared. Aiko's eyes scanned the area to try and spot where he was.

Lupus then appeared right in front of Aiko and kicked her in the stomach, the strength of his kick sent her flying out of the ring. The announcer ran towards the edge of the ring to begin the count.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10! And the winner is Lupus." the crowd was in uproar, especially the ladies but once again Lupus didn't notice. His eyes reverted back to their usual brown colour and then Lupus ran off of the ring and approached Aiko.

He offered her his paw, she took it and Lupus pulled Aiko to her feet.

"That was a great match." said Lupus

"I could've won if you hadn't used your powers." said Aiko, Lupus chuckled. He didn't want to say it but he couldn've beaten Aiko even without his powers but reason she had the upperhand before was because he was still injured from his fight with Yami.

"And now it's time for the second match between Zanshi and Nunka."

Zanshi and Nunka both stepped into the ring, Nunka bared his fangs and hissed at Zanshi causing him to flinch and yelp in fear. Nunka chuckled.

"This'll be easy."

"And... Begin!"

Nunka bared his fangs again and lunged at Zanshi but the masked warrior yelped in fear and jumped out of the way causing Nunka to miss. Nunka slithered at Zanshi and attemped to whack him in the face with his tail but Zanshi cowardly ducked.

Nunka delivered a mulitude of swings with his tail but Zanshi dodged them all cowardly, Nunka was beginning to get annoyed and he hissed at Zanshi causing the masked coward to run around the ring while Nunka chased him. The crowd wasn't pleased with the fight so they began booing Zanshi and throwing food, drinks, merchandise and... a wardrobe?

Then the most unexpected thing happened, Zanshi slipped on a bannana peel causing him to backflip and his foot landed on the top of Nunka's head, knocking the rattlesnake out cold. The crowd, the announcer and the other warriors stared in complete shock. Lupus was having a serious case of deja vu, the announcer snapped back to reality and begun the count.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10. And the winner... Zanshi." there was silence amongst the crowd. Viper slithered into the ring to check on Nunka.

"Nunka, are you alright? wake up." Nunka let out a groan and then he forced an eye open and looked up at Viper.

"Did I win?" asked Nunka

"No, far from it." replied Viper

"Ugh, beaten by a coward, I'll never live this one down." Nunka and Viper both slithered off of the ring.

"Now for the third match, Xun vs Tigress!"


	10. Chapter 10: Round 2's Brutal End

**Chapter 10: Round 2's Brutal End**

"Now for the third match, Xun vs Tigress." The crowd was in uproar as Xun and Tigress stepped into the ring.

"Master Tigress, it's truly an honor, I just hope I don't beat down as easy as last time." mocked Xun, a growl escaped Tigress's throat.

"Don't get cocky kid." she said

"And... Begin!"

Tigress delivered a barrage of powerful punches and kicks, Xun managed to block and dodge them all but not without difficulty. Tigress landed a kick to Xun's kidney causing the cheetah to cough up blood and the sheer strength of the attack sent him rolling across the ring.

Xun recovered quickly and jumped to his feet, he charged at Tigress with impressive speed and landed a few punches. He then roundhouse kicked her in the jaw, he then cupped his wrists and thrusted his arms foward sending a gust of wind that would've blow Tigress out of the ring had she not dug her claws into it.

Tigress charged at Xun while on all fours, once she got close she attempted to jump kick him in the face but Xun leaned to his left and stuck out his knee causing Tigress's attack to miss and her stomach to crash onto his knee.

Tigress fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She glared at Xun and let out a roar, she then got to her feet and she charged at him. Tigress pulverised Xun with rock hard punches and fast kicks, she finally ended the chain by forcing her palm into his chest.

The sheer force of the attack sent Xun flying out of the ring and into the wall, Xun got stuck in the wall and was seemingly knocked out. The crowd cheered for the Master of Tiger Style while the announcer ran towards the edge of the ring.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9..." a triumphant smirk crept up Tigress's face and she turned her back on Xun and began walking off of the ring. But then she stopped and realised something, the announcer had stopped counting which meant...

Tigress turned around to see Xun standing in the ring, he was bruised and there was blood on his lip, a line of blood coming down the right hand side of his face and there was a small trail of blood coming from his nose.

"I'm not done yet Tigress." said Xun in a serious tone, a small tornado formed around Xun's right arm which meant he was planning to use his signature attack, the Tornado Uppercut.

Xun charged at Tigress with such speed he looked like a blur, he attempted to uppercut Tigress in the jaw but the feline caught the attack. Xun tested his strength against Tigress but it was no use, Xun was young and relied more on his speed but Tigress had dealt with the most bone-breaking, exhausting training her whole life so her strength was more surperior.

Tigress drove Xun's arm into the ground and kicked him in the jaw, sending Xun sliding across the ring. Xun jumped to his feet and summoned more wind around his right hand forming the Wind Blade.

Xun charged at Tigress one more time and swiped at Tigress. She managed to dodge it but it left a long gash on her left arm, Tigress winced and hissed in pain before she jumped back. Xun charged at Tigress again and delivered numerous swings with his hand but Tigress managed to dodge them all with only minor cuts.

Tigress performed a backflip and kicked Xun in the chin in mid-air sending Xun flying across the ring but then he used the wind to stop himself from flying out of the ring and he slowly descended towards the ground. Xun then chuckled causing Tigress to arch an eyebrow.

"What's so funny? I'm beating you!" Said Tigress, Xun shook his head.

"No you're not, I've been holding back the entire time, my plan worked to perfection."

"What're you talking about?"

"Look at yourself Tigress, your exhausted and injured where as I only have a few bruises." explained Xun, Tigress's eyes widened. She had completely let Xun trick her into thinking she was winning.

"And now, you get the honor of being the first to experience my newest and most powerful move. The Vortex." Xun then charged at Tigress, but he was much faster, even faster than the last time they met.

Xun ran around Tigress, he was so fast she couldn't tell where he was. Just then four images of Xun appeared the circle that surrounded Tigress.

"What's wrong Tigress? Feeling a little dizzy?" the images asked in unison, Tigress let out a growl.

Xun's speeds increased even more and a tornado formed around Tigress, the feline realised she was slowly ascending into the air until she was 10 feet off the ground. Just then something shot past her and hit her while it did it, Tigress realised it must've been Xun.

Xun charged into the Tigress so many times and with such speed it was almost like there was more than one of him. Finally Tigress's world turned black and Xun's vortex disappeared, Tigress fell towards the ground outside of the ring.

Luckily Po caught her before she hit the ground, Xun appeared next to the announcer and he looked completely exhausted. He was panting uncontrollably and he put his hands of his bent knees for support.

"Are you alright Xun?" asked the announcer

"Yeah *pant* it's just that *pant* pulling off an attack like that *pant* really takes it out of me." replied Xun, the announcer then turned to Tigress who was still unconscious in Po's arms.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10! The winner is Xun." The crowd exploded with cheer, Xun walked towards the edge of the ring and literally fell out of it.

"And now for match number 4, Cong vs Crane."

Cong and Crane entered the ring, Crane knew Cong was no push over, especially after how brutally he beat his previous opponent.

"And... Begin." Cong charged at Crane, the avian attempted to fly up into the air but the water buffalo jumped into the air, grabbed Crane's leg and dragged him back to the ground where he then slammed the avian on it.

Crane kicked Cong in the jaw with his free leg causing Cong to let go of his other one, Crane then got to his feet and landed a barrage of punches and kicks. Crane attempted to strike Cong in the neck with his wing but the water buffalo grabbed it.

Cong glared into Crane's eyes with rage, he then headbutted Crane on the forehead and kneed him in the stomach. Crane coughed up blood causing Mei Ling to get a bit worried, Cong then judo-flipped Crane onto the ground.

Cong then gripped Crane's neck tight, lifted him into the air and began choking him. Crane desperately tried to breath but Cong was cutting off his air-flow, so then Crane kicked Cong in the snout.

Cong dropped the bird, took a few steps back and put his hoof over his nose which was now dripping with blood. Crane coughed and breathed heavily, Cong glared at the avian and approached him.

Crane quickly got to his feet and swung his wing at him but Cong grabbed it again, but this time he grabbed it with both hoofs and without a second thought... He broke Crane's wing. Mei Ling could only look away and cover her eyes, all she heard was the bone in Crane's wing snap and him cry out in pain.

Cong let go of Crane's wing, Crane felt to his knees and held his broken wing but then Cong landed a powerful kick to Crane's beak. The avian was sent sliding across the ring, the last thing Crane saw before he lost consciouness was Mei Ling's teary eyes.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9..." before the announcer could say 10 Cong grabbed Crane's body and lifted off the ground which confused the announcer.

"Cong, what're you doing?" asked the announcer

"You can only do the count if a fighter is down or out of the ring for 10 seconds right?" asked Cong

"Um... Yeah."

"Well, he's not down, so the match is still on." said Cong with a sinister smirk on his face.

"What?! But Crane's not even conscious, the fight's over right?" asked Mei Ling as she stared at the announcer with pleading eyes.

"I'm afraid not, if Crane isn't on the ground or out of the ring I can't do the count."

"But he's not even conscious!" snapped Lupus

"I'm sorry young man, but those are the rules. If it were up to me this match would be over right away, but my hands are tied." Lupus stared up at Luna and the Masters.

"What's your say in this?" asked Lupus, Luna looked down to avoid eye contact with her brother.

"I'm sorry Lupus, but Cong isn't from any of our Vallies so we have no authority over him in this tournament." said Luna sadly, Lupus growled.

"Well then." Cong said before he began pulverising Crane's unconscious body, he punched him, kicked him and slammed into the ground. The worst part is Crane can't even defend himself, Mei Ling couldn't take it anymore.

"Please stop! He can't take much more of this, Please!" begged Mei Ling as tears ran down her face, but her words fell on deaf ears as Cong continued to pummel Crane. The sight of her friend being mercilessly beaten like that shattered her heart into a million pieces.

"Grrr, Cong stop this now! You've already proven you're stronger!" snapped Lupus, the black wolf was trying his best to keep his anger under control.

"It's not enough to just beat your opponent, you must destroy them." he said coldly, he then continued to beat the unconscious avian. Lupus growled, he wanted to step in there and stop this match but he'd get disqualified from the tournament.

"And now to end this." said Cong, he then pulled out a dagger and put it to Crane's throat.

"No..." said Mei Ling

"Now Master Crane, you will di-" Cong couldn't finish that sentence because of a fierce pain in his stomach. He looked down and saw Lupus, his eyes were yellow and his fist was in Cong's stomach.

Cong dropped Crane and the dagger, he wrapped his arms around his stomach, fell on his back and cried out in pain.

Lupus picked up Crane and was walking off of the ring when he was stopped by Cong's laughter. Lupus glared back at the water buffalo.

"What's so funny?" asked Lupus

"You, you intervened in the battle and now you're disqualified." said Cong amuzingly, he then stared up at the representitives.

"Well? What're you waiting for? disqualify him." Master Huang-Fu rose from his seat.

"All in favor of disqualifying Lupus from the tournament raise your hand." Luna and the other Masters didn't raise their hands.

"It's settle Lupus will remain in the tournament." announced Huang-Fu, the crowd cheered loudly.

"What!?" exclaimed Cong "But he broke the rules!"

"True but your actions were dishonorable Cong." replied Shifu, Cong growled and stormed off the ring.

Lupus carried Crane off of the ring, Mei Ling dashed over to them and put her paw on Crane's blooded cheek. The medics came and Lupus placed Crane on the stretcher, the medics then carried Crane away.

"Well, glad that's over. And now it's time for the final match of Round 2, Po vs Mei Ling." Mei Ling turned towards and said "I forfeit."

The audience gasped as did the other fighters, Mei Ling then followed the medics to the hospital.

"I guess the winner by forfeit is Po." The Dragon Warrior felt it was a hollow victory, then he and the others also followed the medics to the hospital.

**Damn Crane got f****d up, ugh the Crane fans are gonna hunt me down for this one. But oh well. TheBlackWolf892 out, Peace!**


	11. Chapter 11: The New Fighter

**Chapter 11: The New Fighter **

The gang stood outside of Crane's room in the hospital, it had been hours since Crane was beaten towards an inch of his life by Cong. Mei Ling sat on the bench next to door with her face buried in her paws while Aiko sat next to her. Lupus was resting his right elbow on the window cill while he stared out of the window and Chen sat down at his feet. Tigress was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed while Viper and Nunka were coiled up together.

Monkey stood by the door with Mantis perched on his right shoulder and Po stood in the middle of hallway with a sad expression on his face. The door was pulled open and the doctor stepped out of the room, Mei Ling immediately shot up from the bench and stared at the doctor with blood-shot, teary eyes.

"Is Crane going to be okay?" asked Mei Ling, The doctor shifted his gaze towards the mountain cat.

"I'm not sure, he has a broken wing, three broken ribs and a serious concussion." Mei Ling's heart felt like it had been pierced by a long, cold blade. Aiko stood up from the bench and placed her paw on Mei Ling's shoulder.

Lupus gritted his teeth, clenched his fist and eyes turned sapphire blue but they quickly turned brown again.

"Cong's gonna pay for this." he hissed, just then Shifu came walking down the hallway.

"How is Crane doing?" he asked

"Not so good." replied Viper, Shifu closed his eyes and a sigh escaped his lips.

"Well there is a good chance he'll make a full recovery, if Lupus hadn't stepped in when he did my guess is that Crane wouldn't have made it through the night." said the doctor, Shifu turned his gaze to Lupus.

"You did the right thing Lupus, but I must warn we cannot show favouritism in this tournament or else the people will suspect something. That's why we're letting you off with a warning, if you interfere in another match for any reason you will be disqualified." explained Shifu, the black wolf nodded his head and replied with "Understood."

"You should all be heading back to the inn now, you're all gonna need your rest for tomorrow. I sense something big is going to happen soon." Everyone minus Mei Ling began walking down the hallway. Aiko noticed Mei Ling wasn't coming so she turned and glanced at her.

"Mei Ling, aren't you coming?" asked Aiko softly, Mei Ling shook her head.

"No, I'll stay here with Crane for a while." she replied, Aiko nodded her head before turning around and continuing down the hallway. Mei Ling turned her gaze towards the doctor.

"Is okay if I go in and see him?" she asked, the doctor smiled warmly at her.

"Of course." Mei Ling walked into the room and spotted Crane lying unconscious in the bed with his body covered in bandages.

Mei Ling approached Crane and sat down on the stool at his bedside. Meanwhile the gang had just stepped out of the hospital, Shifu departed from the group and went to the Ruby Palace while the others made their way to the inn.

After several minutes of wondering through the city they had finally arrived at the inn, they entered the building, walked across the room to the bottom of the stairs and climbed up them. Once they reached the top of the stairs they all went to their rooms.

Meanwhile at the Ruby Palace Master Huang-Fu sat in the main hall in the lotus position, meditating. The only sources of light were the dim lights of the candles that encircled him and the pale moonlight gleaming through the windows.

Just then the doors flew open and the candles were blown out, Huang-Fu snapped out of his meditation. He jumped to his feet and turned around, standing in the doorway was none other than Yami himself.

"Why have you come here Yami?" demanded Huang-Fu

"A change in the Arena 1 Tournament Roster." replied Yami sternly, Huang-Fu arched an eyebrow.

"What do you mean a change in the Roster?" Yami chucked something at him and Huang-Fu caught it in his right paw. Huang-Fu opened his paw and saw that it was a small, folded piece of paper.

Huang-Fu un-folded the paper and saw a name written on it, Huang-Fu knew this name. He returned his gaze to Yami with a confused look on his face.

"What does he have to do with anything?" asked Huang-Fu

"I want you to put him in the Arena 1 Tournament, you're going to have him fight the Dragon Warrior. Which brings me to my next subject, I also want to switch to fights. Instead of Lupus fighting Xun I want him to Cong and Xun to fight that Zanshi character."

"Why? What role does this fighter play in your little plan?" asked Huang-Fu

"All will be revealed in due time." Huang-Fu looked down at the name one last time, but when he returned his gaze to Yami the cloaked villain had disappeared.

The next morning Arena 1 was filled with chatter amongst the audience, Huang-Fu then rose from his seat and the chatter died down. Huang-Fu cleared his throat before speaking up.

"Welcome everyone to Round 3 of the Arena 1 Tournament, due to the fact there are an odd number of fighters in this round I've decided to bring in another fighter. You all know him as the winner of the Arena 2 Tournament, Shin!" announced Huang-Fu

The warrior known as Shin stepped into the ring and the crowd was in uproar. Shin was a Panther with piercing green eyes, he was wearing a black martial arts shirt and black pants. Lupus felt somebody nudge his right arm, he turned his head to his right and saw Xun standing next to him.

"Xun, what is it?" asked Lupus

"Remember that guy I told you about? The guy who I think is Yami?" asked Xun

"Uh... Yeah, what about him?" Xun extended his right arm and pointed his index finger at Shin.

"That's him right there." Lupus's eyes widened in shock and quickly glanced at the panther, Lupus narrowed his eyes to get a closer look at him.

His eye colour was green like Yami's and he was the same height and the same build.

"I'd like to thank Master Huang-Fu for entering me into the Arena 1 Tournament, I've gotten bored sitting around and waiting to see who the winner of Arena 1 is going to be." said Shin, his voice wasn't as deep as Yami's but it was similar.

_"This could be him, this could be Yami."_ Lupus thought

"And I'd like to add that due to the change of the Roster we're changing the fights, Lupus will fight Cong, Po will fight Shin and Xun will fight Zanshi." announced Huang-Fu, Lupus's ears twitched once he heard he was going to fight Cong. Suddenly he forgot all about Shin and Yami, the only thing that was currently on his mind was getting back at Cong for what he did to Crane.

The announcer then stepped into the ring and cleared his throat before he spoke up.

"Alright people, let's get this round underway. Let's start with Lupus vs Cong." said the announcer

The crowd cheered for Lupus when he stepped into the ring but they booed Cong when he stepped into the ring. Lupus and Cong glared at each other, everyone could feel the sparks flying between the two fighters and the intensity in the atmosphere.

"And... Begin!" Once the announcer finished his sentence Lupus gritted his teeth and growled at Cong before he lunged at him with the fires of hate in his eyes.

**TAKING ALL BETS! Do you think Shin is Yami? Well, place your bets now cause Yami's identity will be revealed very soon. TheBlackWolf892 out, Peace!**


	12. Chapter 12: Lupus's Rage

**Chapter 12: Lupus's Rage **

Lupus sprinted towards Cong and he was closing in on the water buffalo fast. Cong took his fighting stance and readied himself for the charging wolf, Lupus's eyes turned yellow and he disappeared.

Cong's eyes widened and his mouth gaped, he eyes shifted in all directions looking for the black wolf but Lupus was nowhere to be seen. Just then Lupus appeared in front of Cong with yellow lightning cloaking his right paw. Lupus pulled his arm and forced it forward causing his lightning covered fist to collide with Cong's face.

Cong staggered back with his face buried in hooves, Lupus charged at Cong again and pulverised him with punches and kicks. Due to Lupus's lightning fast speed Cong couldn't block or dodge any of them. Lupus then performed a roundhouse kick to Cong's chest sending the water buffalo sliding across the ring. The gang stared on at their friend and were a bit surprised by his sudden aggression.

"Wow, Lupus is messing him up." said Mantis

"Why is Lupus so aggressive all of a sudden?" asked Chen

"It's because of what Cong did to Crane." replied Xun

Lupus charged at Cong again, Cong gritted his teeth and growled at the black wolf. Once Lupus was within range Cong sent a punch flying at him but Lupus dived over the punch and over Cong's head. Lupus grabbed Cong's horns in mid-air, as he descended to the ground Lupus threw Cong across the ring. Cong landed just at the edge of the ring and he cracked the tiles, Lupus didn't give him the chance to get up. He sprinted towards the downed buffalo and jumped on top of him.

Lupus grabbed the collar of Cong's chestplate and punched the water buffalo repeatedly in the face. Aiko stared at the Lupus shock, he was so aggressive, usually he would give his opponent the oppurtunity to defend themselves. But now he was destroying Cong out there, this was not the same Lupus she fell in love with. This was a darker side of him, even Lupus's younger sister Luna seemed a bit concerned by her brother's sudden change in personality.

Lupus had finally stopped hitting Cong, the water buffalo's face was now bruised, blooded and he had a black, swollen eye. Lupus let go of Cong, his yellow eyes reverted back to their usual brown colour.

The Black wolf turned his back on Cong and began walking away, he stoppped in his tracks when he realised the announcer wasn't doing the count. Lupus turned his head and glanced over his right shoulder. Cong was on his feet, he glared at Lupus with rage in his good eye and he was inhaling and exhaling nasally.

Lupus growled at Cong and he turned around facing him, Cong aimed his horns at Lupus before charging him. Lupus stood his ground and put his arms forward, Lupus caught Cong's horns but he was being pushed forward.

Lupus stomped his foot firmly on the ground and pushed back, it was now a test of strength to see who would win this struggle. Both their strengths were equally matched but Cong came up with an idea and a smirk crept up his face.

Cong jerked his head up causing Lupus's paws to slide off of his horns, Lupus flew high up into the air until he was 10 feet above the ground. Lupus fell towards the ring head-first.

"Heh heh, you're mine now." said Cong, he then aimed his horns upwards. The gang all gaped in shock, Cong was planning to impale Lupus on his horns.

"Look out Lupus!" exclaimed Aiko

"It's okay!" he replied, Lupus's right eye then turned sapphire blue and his left eye turned yellow. Lupus was then cloaked by blue fire and yellow electricity. He soared down towards Cong and then there was a blinding, white light.

Everyone shielded their eyes, once the light died down everyone's gaze returned to ring. Lupus stood in front of a seemingly unconscious Cong, but that's not all. Both Cong's horns had been broken off, Lupus turned his back on the water buffalo and began walking off of the ring while the announcer begun the count.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9-" Suddenly Lupus felt something sharp and cold pierce his back. He looked at friends to see only horror in their eyes, Lupus looked over his left shoulder and saw a dagger sticking out of his back and Cong standing right behind him with a triumphant smirk on his face.

Lupus's vision began to blur and he slumped forward, Luna was barely holding back her tears, same as Aiko but Chen let his tears slide down his cheeks. Cong burst out into laughter and he knelt down next to Lupus.

"Not so tough now are you? You're just like that bird I beat down. And once I win this tournament I'm gonna finish the job and I'll kill the rest of your pathetic friends as well." Cong then rose to his feet and began walking off of the ring, but then...

"You dishonorable piece of trash." hissed a familiar voice, Cong's eyes widened in shock and he slowly turned around. Lupus was on his feet and his eyes were closed.

"What? Impossible, how is he still alive?" Lupus opened his now glowing, blue eyes and glared at Cong. He then reached his right arm over his left shoulder and yanked the dagger out of his back and cast it aside.

"How dare you, how dare you threaten my friends!" hissed Lupus, blue fire then formed around his right forearm.

"I'm going to send you into oblivion. Sapphire Flame Dragon!" exclaimed Lupus, the fire around Lupus's arm glowed brighter until it was blinding. Cong was gripped by fear, his body shaked and his legs quaked.

"Sapphire Flame Dragon? I've never heard of this technique." said Huang-Fu

"Neither have I." replied Shifu, the red panda then glanced at Luna.

"Lady Luna, do you know of this technique?" asked Shifu, Luna paused for a moment but then she nodded her head.

"Sapphire Flame Dragon, it's one of our clans most powerful and dangerous moves. It can only be achieved by those who have the evolved fire ability, my father talked of it once but I didn't think anyone would be able to do it." explained Luna

Lupus then extended his right arm and aimed his attack at Cong who was quaking in fear.

"I was saving this move for somebody else, but you've pushed me over the edge. And I'm going to be honest with you, I haven't fully mastered this technique yet so I have no idea what's going to happen. Resisting it is not something I would do."

"P-please, have mercy!" begged Cong

"Mercy?! Did you show my friend mercy when you were beating his unconscious body to a pulp and he had no way to defend himself? No, you don't derserve mercy." said Lupus, Cong cried out in fear. Lupus then turned his gaze towards Chen.

"Chen, look away. I don't want you to see this." ordered Lupus, Chen turned around and covered his eyes.

"SAPPHIRE FLAME DRAGON!" yelled Lupus, he then pulled his arm back and thrusted it forward.

To be continued

**God damn, looks like we're seeing Lupus's darkside here. And no he's not going to turn evil, he was going to originally but that would've strayed from the plot too much. And good news people, Yami's identity will be revealed in the next chapter! TheBlackWolf892 out, Peace!**


End file.
